The American Basketball Which Kuroko Plays
by xiongem
Summary: The Generation of Miracles and one person of their choosing are invited to play in an American basketball tournament that's hosted in Los Angeles; right in Kagami and Himuro's backyard. Not only does the GoM have to deal with jet-lag and a grueling training schedule, but they must also get accustomed to the difference in cultures between America and Japan.
1. Chapter 1:American Basketball Tournament

The American Basketball Which Kuroko Plays

Chapter 1: American Basketball Tournament

 **Summary: The Generation of Miracles and one person of their choosing are invited to play in an American basketball tournament that's hosted in Los Angeles; right in Kagami and Himuro's backyard. Not only does the GoM have to deal with jet-lag and a grueling training schedule, but they must also get accustomed to the difference in cultures between America and Japan. Can they overcome these difficulties and rise to the top in America as well?**

 _ **This story is set at the end of the manga and anime. (Spoiler Alert!) If you haven't finished the manga or anime I suggest going back and finishing it first.**_

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no Basket or any of the characters. They belong to their rightful owner. This story is written for entertainment purposes only and will not be used to make a profit.

"Come on, Kuroko-kun! You've got to move faster than that! The other teams are training just as hard as we are. Kick it into high gear! Move it!" Riko yelled as the Seirin team raced back and forth across the gym floor. They had finished three sets of laps around the school and were now working on suicides, which is where they run back and forth across the gym and touch the out of bound lines as quickly as they can. Kuroko, who had been breathing extremely hard was slowly losing speed and he finally had to slow to a walk.

"I'm sorry," Kuroko panted as he stopped walking and doubled over with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath.

Riko sighed and blew her whistle, drawing the team's attention to her as they stopped running and gathered around her in a loose cluster. "Take a fifteen minute break, stretch and rehydrate. We'll do some layups to cool down before we head home."

The team scattered, some headed for the locker room and some, who had their water bottles in the gym, hurried to chug down some water. Kagami was one of those people who had his bottle in the gym along with his gym bag. He'd stopped leaving it in the lock room because it was too much trouble to go all the way in there to just grab it since he didn't change after evening practice usually. As he was gulping down water his phone rang in his bag. He hurried to answer it, muttering an apology to Riko for not having his phone on silence, and listen intently to the person on the line.

"Yes, I understand," Kagami replied into the phone in English, drawing the attention of everyone within earshot. "Really?! Yes, I'll tell them. Yes, I will. Thank you very much."

Kagami hung up and placed his phone back into his bag when Kuroko asked from beside him, "Who was that?" causing Kagami to jump.

"Dammit, Kuroko, don't do that!" Kagami yelled as he clutched his chest. Sometime he forgot how easy it was for Kuroko to sneak up on a person if they didn't keep his whereabouts in the back of their minds. "That was a sponsor for the NBA. Their hold a tournament in America and they want the Generation of Miracles to compete in it." Kagami explained as the rest of the team gathered around to hear what was going on.

"Then why did they call you? You're not technically part of the Generation of Miracles." Izuki inquired.

Kagami shrugged. "Alex gave them my number and told them it would be the easiest and best way to get news to everyone else before a representative shows up next week to explain everything."

"How long is this tournament going to be? Is Kuroko-kun also invited? What all needs to be payed?" Riko demanded quickly as her mind started panicking about having to train her team without their passing expert around.

Kagami held up his hands, halting anymore questions. "I don't know. The person I talked to only told me they were holding a tournament and that a representative would be sent next week and they asked me to notify the Generation ahead of time to make things easier. That's all I know. We'll have to wait until the representative shows up to get any more info."

Riko's brow furrowed in thought and worry for a moment before she decided it wasn't worth dwelling on anymore and ordered the team to start practicing their layups. She pulled Kuroko aside though before he could grab a ball. "Kuroko-kun. If they do ask you to participate, will you please talk to me before giving them an answer? I'd like to at least be in the loop on what's going on if you're going to be gone for an extended period of time."

Kuroko nodded. "Of course, I was planning to do that without you asking. I would never leave without saying anything, unlike some people." Kuroko said, talking a little louder during the last part to make sure Kagami heard him.

"Hey. I didn't have time for goodbyes when I left. I had to be in America, train with Alex for three days, and fly back. I was short on time okay." Kagami hollered defensively as he stalked towards Kuroko. Mitobe hurried over, placing his hand on Kagami's shoulder and silently shook his head.

"'There's no need for violence. We all understand why you didn't say goodbye, Kagami-kun.' He said." Koganei translated Mitobe's silence for everyone before preforming his layup.

Kagami ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. "Sorry," He mumbled and turned away, but Kuroko still noticed the slight blush on his cheeks.

Riko elbowed him in the side lightly and inclined her head towards Kagami who was preparing to take his turn. "He still has a temper, but I think he's gotten better at containing it, don't you think?"

"Yes, Kagami-kun has certainly mellowed out a lot since we first joined. Well then, I'm going to practice too." Kuroko muttered as he ran off to join the rest of the team.

Riko smiled slightly as she watched her team practice thinking about how much Kuroko and Kagami had changed them. It seemed that even though the boy had very little presence he could make a huge impact in peoples' lives. She wondered for a moment about where they would be if Kuroko and Kagami had decided to join another school. She didn't think they would be training so hard to hold the nation champion title they had struggled so hard to win. Instead, they probably would be practicing to once again attempt to even make it to the Winter Cup, like last year.

These thoughts led her to again worry about finding a new center and shooting guard to replace Hyuuga and Kiyoshi who were either preparing for finals or in America awaiting surgery. She sighed again as she thought of all that was to come. They had a lot of work to do, but with the help of Kagami and Kuroko, she believed they could rise as high as or even higher than what they had accomplished this year. Only time would tell, and maybe this tournament would whip some of her team into shape.


	2. Chapter 2: We're going to America!

The American Basketball Which Kuroko Plays

Chapter 2: We're going to America?!

 **Summary: The Generation of Miracles and one person of their choosing are invited to play in an American basketball tournament that's hosted in Los Angeles; right in Kagami and Himuro's backyard. Not only does the GoM have to deal with jet-lag and a grueling training schedule, but they must also get accustomed to the difference in cultures between America and Japan. Can they overcome these difficulties and rise to the top in America as well?**

 _ **This story is set at the end of the manga and anime. (Spoiler Alert!) If you haven't finished the manga or anime I suggest going back and finishing it first.**_

 **Also, any words said in English will be** _ **italicized.**_

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no Basket or any of the characters. They belong to their rightful owner. This story is written for entertainment purposes only and will not be used to make a profit.

"Flight 2986 for Denver, Colorado is now boarding at gate 4D. I repeat…" the voice said over the P.A. system in the Los Angeles International Airport, but the many jet-lagged basketball players didn't pay any attention. They were finally at they're destination, there was no need to pay attention to announcements anymore.

Only two people didn't seemed too affected by the long plane ride and time difference, Kagami Taiga and Himuro Tatsuya. They were merrily chatting to themselves about what they should do once they reached the hotel.

All Aomine Daiki could make out of their conversation, since it was in English, was that they didn't plan on sleeping. "How can you guys be so damn energetic? Why are you not exhausted like the rest of us?" Aomine growled in annoyance.

Kagami and Himuro shared a look for a moment and then Himuro explained, "We've done this so many times that we're used to it by now."

Midorima walked up and yawned. "Enough chit-chat. Let's get to our hotel so we can sleep."

Kagami frowned. "We're not sleeping once we get to the hotel. We're just staying long enough to drop off our luggage and then we have to meet our representative for dinner. Trust me, if you sleep now. You'll never get yourself synced up with this time zone."

The teams reached baggage claim and were retrieving their belongings when a female voice called out.

" _Tiger! Tatsu!_ " Kagami and Himuro looked up just in time to see a small, quick moving girl weave her way through the crowd of people and tackle them. " _I missed you. How have you been? How was your flight? Are you free tonight? The gang wants to hang out and Michael's finally back from Russia. Isn't that great?_ "

Himuro sighed and laughed. " _Hi, Jess. I see you haven't changed at all._ "

Jess gave him a beaming smile and then turned and glared at Kagami.

Kagami blanched. He never could keep up with the wild mood swings of American girls. Or just girls in general. " _What? Why are you looking at me like that?_ "

" _You haven't call, texted, wrote, nor visited any of us once since you went back to America, you jerk. You make new friends in Japan so you don't have time for your old friends, is that it?_ " Jess growled.

Kagami slowly started backing away from the girl. He'd seen her when she's mad and she's scarier than Rico. He did not want a scene in the middle of a busy airport. Luckily for him, Himuro decided to step in. He placed his hand on Jess shoulder, preventing her from moving towards Kagami.

" _Now, now. Let's not get violent. I'm afraid we're busy tonight Jess, but we might be able to squeeze in a little free time tomorrow around lunch. We'll come see everyone then._ " Himuro said, drawing Jess's attention away from Kagami.

Jess's eyes brightened considerably and she smiled widely. " _Really?! Okay. Tomorrow for lunch. I'll tell everyone!_ " With that she sprinted off towards the exit, but paused before she reached the doors. " _Oh, Tatsu! Erica will want to see you tonight. Even if it's only for a few minutes. She told me to tell you that if you didn't show your face tonight she'd hunt you down tomorrow and make you regret it!_ " She then turned and ran out the doors.

Himuro heaved an exasperated sigh. Kagami laughed. "They'll never change will they? Always threatening people to get them to comply."

"Kagami-kun, you certainly have some very strange friends." Kuroko commented, making Himuro jump.

Kagami laughed again and grabbed his luggage. "You've seen nothing yet."

The door to room 305 of the Hampton Inn beeped and then swung open as Kagami and Himuro enter. Kagami sighed as he dropped his luggage next to the bed. He wanted so, so badly to just flop onto the bed and sleep, but he knew better by now. The last time he'd done that, he had to struggle for nearly a month just to get his body back on track with the time change. Stay awake long was much easier than that.

"Have you looked at the schedule yet?" Himuro asked as he too placed his luggage next to his bed.

Kagami shook his head. "No, I was too busy trying to help my team. I can't believe that most of them have never flown before."

Himuro laughed. "Same for me. Only Murasakibara had flown before, but all he wanted to do was sit and eat snacks, so he was no help. I did, however, glance at the schedule while we were waiting to board our plane. We're out until nine p.m. tonight. We have to get up and be out of the hotel by eight tomorrow morning and we won't get back until at least ten that night. The next day will be a little more free, but not much. I don't when we're gonna find the time to see the gang."

Kagami thought for a moment and shrugged. "We'll figure it out."

Himuro laughed. "Sometimes I wish I could be as carefree as you, Taiga."

"I'm not carefree. I just know that Erica will figure things out. If she wants it bad enough she'll get it to happen one way or another."

"You're right. Come on. Let's start knocking on doors and make sure everyone's ready to leave. We don't want them falling asleep."

" _Thank you so much for your time, Mr. Kagami, Mr. Himuro. We're so excited to have such promising young foreigners participating in this year's tournament. It will certainly be a great opportunity to start bringing in more overseas players to the U.S. and the MBA."_ The female representative said as she stood up from the table and held out her hand in Kagami's and Himuro's direction.

" _Thank you for giving us this opportunity. We will make the most of what's been offered to use to use."_ Himuro said as he rose and shook the representative's hand.

Kagami too rose and shook hands and then motioned for the members of the generation of miracles to rise as well. Akashi, who was seated between Himuro and Kagami, rose and shook the representative's hand and spoke quietly to her causing her to smile slightly. After that he motioned for the others to shake hands and he exited the conference room. The others who didn't speak English politely shook hands, bowed and then followed Akashi out of the room.

Kagami waited silently by the door until Kuroko, who was last, was able to shake hands. "Did you understand any of was being discussed?" Kagami asked him as they made their way out of the room, following the other miracles.

Kuroko shook his head. "I didn't understand much, but I did understand a few things. Who are we facing in our first match? I didn't get that."

"Oh, that'd be-"

" _Tatsuya. Tiger_." A female voice called as the group left the building, interrupting Kagami midsentence.

Himuro and Kagami glanced in the direction of the voice and their faces brightened dramatically. "Erica!" Himuro called and sprinted over to the girl who had called.

The sight of her made the Miracles pause. She was beautiful, that much they could tell, but it impossible to tell just how tall she was, considering she was in a wheelchair. Her hair was blond with streaks of light purple in them and came down just past her shoulders. Her hands, which were pressed against the small of Himuro's back as she hugged him, were small and thin, made to play piano and paint. The color of her eyes couldn't be seen from the distance that separated them, but Kagami knew her eyes were a dark forest green.

" _What are you doing here?_ " Kagami asked Erica as she and Himuro made their way over to the group. Himuro tried to push her, but she waved off his help. She was an independent person who very rarely accepted help from others.

" _I didn't want to wait until lunch. Knowing you, you'd come up with some excuse as to why you couldn't meet."_ Erica said a dangerous glint entering her eyes.

" _Okay. I admit, I thought about it, but I promise you, I was going to show up, because it I don't I know you and Jess and Cassie would find me and tear me to shreds."_ Kagami defended.

"Kagamicchi, are you going to introduce us?" Kise asked as he came up beside Kagami and game Erica one of his award winning smiles.

Erica smiled back at him, but the look she gave him made it obvious that she was impressed. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Erica. An old friend of Tiger and Tatsuya." Erica said in slightly accented Japanese. Kise's jaw dropped as she spoke and he was left speechless. Kagami and Himuro smiled. Erica was the only one of their friends in America that spoke fluent Japanese. Both them and Alex and been teaching her for years and Kagami had even taken her to Japan for a short trip in several years ago.

Akashi, who showed no outward signs of shock, took the lead in the conversation. "I'm Seijuuro Akashi, and Model-kun here is Ryota Kise. The tall one in the back eating snacks is Atsushi Murasakibara. The brooding one is Daiki Aomine and the one obsessing over his fingers is Shintaro Midorima. It's nice to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all too. Now, Tatsuya, what are you doing now?" Erica asked.

"We just finished our meeting with the representative of the tournament and now we're on our way over to the stadium to meet up with our team and get some practicing in." Himuro said, giving Kagami a quick glance.

"You can come along if you want. We could always use your amazing eye." Kagami offered.

"Amazing eye?" Aomine piped in, showing some interest in the conversation for the first time.

"She's like Riko-san and Momoi-san. She can tell the condition of a person's body just by watching them move. I'd say she's better than both of the girls combined." Himuro said.

Erica lightly punched him playfully in the arm. "Now you're just saying things. But, I will take you up on your offer. I want to see how the best high school basketball players in Japan move."

"Okay then. Let's get moving." Kagami said and they were on their way.


	3. Chapter 3: Talent Don't Mean Everything

Chapter 3: Talent Doesn't Mean Everything

So... I struggled for a while over a big obstacle I encountered whilst writing this chapter... I don't know any real basketball teams in America, no a one. So, after a lot of thinking I decided to just make up teams and players. So, I apologize to those basketball fans out there for my lack of knowledge and if I get any terms wrong please feel free to leave a comment telling me so I can fix it. General comments are welcome as well. Also, sorry for using "so" so much. WARNING: Erica has a foul mouth and is not afraid to drop the f-bomb when necessary.

Any words spoken in JAPANESE will be italicized. I know this is different than what I said in chapter 2 and have since gone back and fixed it. I realized while writing this chapter that italicizing Japanese words worked better than English ones. Let me know what you think of the change and I apologize for any confusion.

"I thought you said they were the best in Japan?" Jason Mendez whispers to the person standing beside him as they watch the people on the court play a practice game. Or at least it should be a practice match. Instead, it's more like one side completely obliterating the other, without even trying.

"They're called the Generation of Miracles in their country so you'd think they'd be better than this." Max Simoms comments back. "But, frankly, they suck."

"Yeah, there's no team work, no communication. They're not even passing the ball. This is just painful to watch." Jason says and then turns away to practice some free throws.

The practice game in question was in fact between the Generation and the Winstonville Mustangs. The Mustangs were a nationally known team that had played in Nationals for ten years in a row, this year included, and had one twice in those ten years. They're an exceptionally high level team and are well known for their offensive style of play. But, in terms of individual player skill level, the Generation is by far the stronger team. But, basketball isn't a game that's played alone. As Kuroko Tetsuya has worked hard to teach his former teammates over the past year.

" _Did they used to play like this in middle school_?" Kagami asks as he and Kuroko watch Aomine, Kise, Akashi, Midorima, and Murasakibara play.

Kuroko nods. " _The level of their opponents was much lower in middle school, so they got away with this way of playing, but now….. Now they don't stand a chance_."

A hand lands on Kagami and Kuroko's shoulders. " _Which is why we're here, right? We'll turn them into an unstoppable beast that works together like a well-oiled machine_." Tatsuya says as way of encouragement. " _Atsushi! Pass the ball_!" He yells, causing Kagami and Kuroko to cringe.

Murasakibara glances up at the sound of Tatsuya's voice and the forward of the other team takes that moment of distraction to steal the ball out of his hands and score. The score if now seventy-six to twenty. The Generation has lost and they act like it. Aomine and Kise are barely running and Akashi is simply standing by the side line catching his breath.

" _What the hell is this?! Move your Goddamn feet! The game isn't over until the buzzer sounds_!" Erica yells from the other side of the gym and everyone knows who she's yelling at. The Generation stops and stares at her.

" _Why should we waste energy fighting a losing battle when we can save it for later_?" Akashi calls back to her.

Erica visibly bristles with anger and she makes her way over to their court. She doesn't even pause at the out-of-bounds line and rolls right onto the court and up to Akashi. She may sit shorter than him, but Akashi suddenly feels very intimidated with the young woman right in front of him, practically on his feet, and he backs up a step. " _You honestly have to have me tell you why the fuck you should keep giving you all? I thought you were the best in Japan, but frankly, I could beat you and I'm in a fucking wheelchair. You give it your all because your opponent deserves your all. These people here don't have to practice with you. Hell, half these teams don't have to be here at all, today. But they came to check out the competition. Right now you're not competition and I'm surprised someone hasn't asked you to leave yet. I don't know how you play in Japan, but in America sportsmanship is just as important as winning and we take pride in knowing that everyone enjoyed the game even if they didn't win_." Erica turns and stares the other four in the eye. " _If you're not going to do that, then you can pack your bags and ship your sorry asses back to Japan. Got it?"_

They nod their understanding but that isn't enough for Erica. " _I can't hear you. Do you understand what I just told you, or did it go in one ear and out the other? Do I need to get Tiger or Tatsuya over here to explain things to you? Do you not understand my Japanese? HUH?!_ " Her voice rises with every sentence until she's practically screaming, and the Generation suddenly understands why Kagami and Tatsuya are so scared of her. Being in a chair doesn't mean she isn't one of the scariest women they've ever met.

" _Yes! We understand and we're sorry_." Akashi says. He then turns and bows to the Winstonville players. "We're very sorry for the way we've been playing. Please give us another chance."

Seeing Akashi bow, the other Generations do the same and apologize. The Winstonville captain comes forward. "I must say, I have no idea what just happened, but if you'll play seriously this time, we'll give you another shot." He smiles and holds out his hand.

Akashi bows again and shakes his hand. "Thank you. We will try harder this time."

Kuroko smiles softly from the bench. " _Your friend is scary, Kagami-kun, but I think she'll be a good coach for them_."

Kagami smiles and nods in agreement.

Erica sighs heavily as she leans back in Tatsuya's lap and enjoys the feeling of his fingers slipping through her hair. " _How the hell are you guys the best in Japan?"_ She asks the kids sitting around the fire pit relaxing. The hotel they're staying at is very high end and has a rooftop pool and fire pit. They had to ask the hotel staff for extra chairs, but they managed to fit everyone around it.

" _What the hell does that mean, huh?"_ Aomine growls. He's tired and sore and not in the mood to be insulted, especially after they got their asses handed to them in every practice game they played today.

Erica glares and shifts in Tatsuya's lap causing him to wrap his arms around her waist in fear she'll fall off his lap. " _Well, what I saw today was_ _ **not**_ _a team let alone a countries best. There was no teamwork, no communication. You had some seriously impressive moves, but if you think that'll be enough to win in this country then you might as well go back home."_

Aomine shrinks back and glowers. He knows she's right, but old habits are hard to break and he and his former teammates haven't exactly had a long time to figure out this whole teamwork thing. Kise voices what he's thinking. " _This how we've always played. I mean, it worked up until we played Seirin, but yes, I do think we need to change. Didn't Kurokochii work hard to show us that our individual skill isn't enough to win anymore?"_

" _I agree. I don't want tomorrow to be as bad as today. We need to change and we need to do it fast."_ Midorima speaks up.

Erica glances up at Tatsuya and then over to Kagami. "Are they serious? That up until now they've won by playing a one-man game?"

They nod. "Taiga and his team gave us all a good beating several times and they've finally started to learn to work with their teammates, but I'm not surprised things turned out the way they did today." Tatsuya says and smiles at Murasakibara who looks away and munches on his snacks.

Erica sighs again and pats Tatsuya's arm, signaling his to help her back into her chair. " _From what you'd just told me, I'd say we've got a lot of work to do. Get some sleep, you've got a hard day tomorrow, especially if I can get Alex to help out."_

Thank you for reading and I'll hopefully have another chapter up soon. I have a pretty good idea what chapter 4 will hold so I'm gonna get started right away. Cross your fingers and hold your breath- wait don't do that this may take a while if my previous uploads are to go by- I'm gonna try to upload by the end of the week. And I'm sorry the chapters are so short. I have something big I'm working towards and I want to get to it soon so I'm trying to make the run-up rather quick. I love character development.


End file.
